Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of West Hempstead works elsewhere
3,683 jobs are based in West Hempstead, and 9,451 of its residents work somewhere. Only 5% work in West Hempstead; the top destination outside it is New York City (44%, 15 miles). Working residents average 36 minutes each way; New York averages 33, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
West Hempstead and work: the main findings
44% of West Hempstead works in New York City
4,205 working residents, 44%, have their main job in New York City, 15 miles away. That’s 9 times as many as work in West Hempstead itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside West Hempstead
70% of West Hempstead residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 51% of the jobs based in West Hempstead pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The places West Hempstead commutes to
Where West Hempstead clocks in
44% of workers
27% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The kinds of work in West Hempstead
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Hempstead, 2013 → 2023: 4,870 → 3,683. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Hempstead’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in West Hempstead by day
On a workday 9,014 residents head out to work, 437 work right here, and 3,246 people come in from elsewhere.
About 15,000 people are in West Hempstead on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
About 36 minutes each way, longer than most of New York
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Hempstead workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,824 commuters (the 16% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
West Hempstead’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
West Hempstead and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Hempstead workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hempstead | – | — | — | 36 min | $164,127 |
| Hempstead | under 1% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $90,420 |
| Franklin Square | under 1% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Lakeview | under 1% | — | — | 49 min | — |
| Garden City | under 1% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $244,152 |
| Malverne Park Oaks | under 1% | — | — | 31 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Franklin Square, Lakeview and Malverne Park Oaks: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Hempstead’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in West Hempstead: questions
What is the median household income in West Hempstead?
$164,127 (±$11,853) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Hempstead?
4.5%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Hempstead?
36 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Hempstead work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (44%, 15 mi), Hempstead (27%, 5 mi), North Hempstead (10%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around West Hempstead without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Hempstead, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Hempstead
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.